The Philadelphia 76ers (25-16) took on the Oklahoma City Thunder (19-23). The previous matchup between these two teams wasn't too close. This one was closer, but in the wrong direction for Philly. The young Thunder put up a great fight and defeated the Sixers by a score of 133-114.
Let's break down the Sixers loss to the Thunder.
Sixers player notes:
Joel Embiid: 30 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 10-17 FG shooting
After recording a triple-double in the Sixers and Thunder's previous matchup, Embiid had a more typical game. He played with foul trouble after picking up his third foul with seven minutes left in the second quarter. Using his overpowering size, he was able to get to his spots against the small Thunder and although he made plenty of shots, he also lost the ball on his way to the hoop often.
James Harden: 24 points, 6 rebounds, 15 assists, 6-13 FG shooting
Harden helped correct the offense's shaky course to open the game. But he got cooked off the dribble on the defensive end and wasn't helping the offense as much as he needed to in the second quarter, though he did end the half with a flurry of points (as well as five turnovers). His sloppiness and defensive struggles continued in the fourth quarter.
Tyrese Maxey: 17 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 6-13 FG shooting
Maxey's speed made him tough for any Thunder defender to stop. He made some very slick passes to shooters when he didn't rise up for a shot. Although he was equipped to put pressure on the OKC defense, he struggled to handle guarding Gilgeous-Alexander, as he found himself in foul trouble.
De'Anthony Melton: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3-6 FG shooting
Melton had himself a respectable game, On top of being highly efficient from beyond the arc, he put pressure on the Thunder defense off the ball and was effective as a connective passer. He didn't rise to the occasion defensively, though, as SGA was able to continue his hot scoring night on the plays where Melton guarded him.
Thunder player notes:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 37 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, 10-16 FG shooting
SGA put up a season-low 14 points in his first matchup with the Sixers. This time, he had 13 in just the first quarter. He had it really going from the start of the game, giving Philly fits with his crafty handles and ability to wiggle out of any situation. In transition, he pushed the pace and got to the hoop. In the halfcourt, he used his herky-jerky game to create all sorts of advantages while hitting all 16 of his free throws. He also made plenty of good plays defensively. Gilgeous-Alexander controlled this game from start to finish.
Josh Giddey: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 7-14 FG shooting
On top of swinging the ball to his teammates time after time, Giddey found ways to penetrate the perimeter defense and score, often with his floater. He provided plenty of key players down the stretch, including an offensive board that led to a pair of free throws and a tough layup.
Isaiah Joe: 7 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists, 2 steals, 2-6 FG shooting
The former Sixers guard received cheers from the crowd when he checked into the game. His movement off the ball helped OKC keep its strong offensive rhythm but he did a lot of his scoring from the free-throw line. He also had a steal-and-score off of an Embiid turnover late in the game.
Game notes:
1st half
- The Thunder got cooking early, hitting four of their first five shots from deep to take an early 16-7 lead while the Sixers came out missing most of their attempts. Embiid looked to overpower his smaller defender (Jaylin Williams) by sealing him off early in the shot clock but he wasn't able to get going. He also got called for a pair of fouls in the first four minutes of the game.
- Gilgeous-Alexander went to work against a lackadaisical Sixers defense and his teammates followed his lead. Philly didn't rotate, stay disciplined on off-ball cuts or pump fakes or stay alert in transition. Williams, who averages 3.0 points per game, had seven in the opening frame.
- The Thunder's lack of size was really on display, as the Sixers were able to convert tons of looks at close shots. It helped them even up the score early on despite a poor display of 3-point shooting.
- Tobias Harris appeared to hit knees with an opposing Thunder defender as he drove to the rim. He pulled up for a jump pass before heading to the floor and holding his knee. He was able to walk off the court and head to the locker room on his own power but very slowly. Just a few minutes later, he was back in the game.
- After Embiid's second foul, he stayed in the game for a little before Montrezl Harrell subbed in for him. Then, he quickly picked up his third after falling for a Darius Bazley pump fake and Paul Reed came in for him. The offense struggled to find a consistent rhythm without him. Meanwhile, Tre Mann picked up the slack for SGA while he rested and got buckets off the bench.
- The Sixers trailed the Thunder 67-57 at halftime.
2nd half
- With seven quick points, the Sixers got right back into it. They held the Thunder scoreless for minutes and took the lead on a Harris triple before playing ping pong with it. It was a very promising start aside from Maxey picking up his fourth foul.
- Embiid's amazing chase-down block aside, the third quarter wasn't great for Philly. A dozen unanswered points from OKC helped the young squad really push the lead.
- The Harden-Niang connection helped the Sixers offense go but on the defensive end, Philly had a lot of trouble containing drivers. This allowed OKC to have an answer for each of their buckets.
- Embiid checking into the game in the fourth quarter helped the Sixers stay within striking distance. They were down by just 10 points with over five minutes to go after he threw down a two-handed dunk. With Mike Muscala guarding him, he cut the lead to six.
- The Sixers could never go on a big enough run to catch up with the Thunder. Down by 16 with under two minutes left, Doc Rivers went to the bench to close it out.
Random thoughts:
- Watching Gilgeous-Alexander in person was fun. He was just unstoppable and his creativity made him so unpredictable, as Thybulle explained after this morning's shootaround.
- Seeing Rivers go with Reed as the backup center following a not-that-great stint from Harrell and with the Sixers having a need for defense was a good move. Playing Melton for only nine minutes in the first half was unwise, though.
- Harden has already set the Sixers' single-season record for 15-assist games with his sixth tonight.
The Sixers will now hit the road for a five-game road trip that starts on Saturday against the Utah Jazz.
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